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VOL.  52  1909 

SMITHSONIAN 
MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  5  QUARTERLY  ISSUE  PART  4 


PREHISTORIC  RUINS  OF  THE  GILA  VALLEY 

BY  J.  WALTER  FEWKES 
WITH  FIVE  PLATES 

At  the  close  of  the  author's  field  work  at  Casa  Grande,  Arizona, 
in  the  spring  of  1908,  he  received  a  grant  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  for  comparative  studies  of  the  same  type  in 
the  Gila  Valley  and  its  tributaries.  The  following  pages  contain  a 
report  of  this  work,  including  some  additional  data  collected  in 
former  years.  The  present  investigation  is  limited  especially  to  that 
type  of  mounds  supposed  to  indicate  Great  Houses  like  Casa  Grande, 
the  type  of  buildings  characteristic  of  southern  Arizona.  As  the 
particular  object  of  the  study  is  to  determine  the  geographical  exten- 
sion of  ruins  of  this  kind,  many  buildings,  like  cliff  dwellings  and 
cavate  rooms,  common  on  the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Salt,  as 
the  Verde  and  Tonto  rivers,  are  not  considered.1 

The  Casa  Grande  type  of  buildings  is  practically  found  only  in 
the  plains  bordering  the  Gila,  Salt,  and  Santa  Cruz  rivers,  where  we 
have  every  reason  to  suppose  this  specialized  form  of  structure  first 
arose  and  later  reached  its  highest  development.  Although  it  is 
probable  that  this  type,  somewhat  modified,  occurs  in  the  Tonto  and 
San  Pedro  valleys,  it  has  not  yet  been  recognized  along  the  Verde 
and  does  not  occur,  so  far  as  exploration  has  thus  far  gone,  in  the 
highlands  in  which  the  Salt  and  Gila  rivers  originate.  It  was  of 
course  impossible,  considering  the  vast  extent  of  desert  in  which 
these  ruins  are  situated  and  the  short  time  at  the  disposal  of  the 
author,  to  visit  all  of  the  ruins  in  these  regions.  Although  the 
present  report  cannot  be  regarded  as  exhaustive,  yet  it  is  believed 


1  The  forms  and  general  archeological  features  of  the  Casas  Grandes  of 
Chihuahua  appear  to  be  identical  with  those  of  Casa  Grande  in  Arizona,  but 
as  the  pottery  objects  are  wholly  different  in  the  two  regions,  it  would  appear 
that  there  were  important  cultural  differences. 

403 


404  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS   COLLECTIONS  VOL.  $2 

to  embrace  the  more  important  clusters  of  the  Casa  Grande  type  in 
the  valleys  under  consideration.  Small  mounds1  with  fragments  of 
pottery  or  broken  metates  indicative  of  habitations  are  scattered  over 
the  plain  in  every  place  in  the  desert  where  irrigation  was  possible. 
Their  number  and  distribution  indicate  a  considerable  population, 
often  settled  at  some  distance  from  the  great  dwellings,  but  gener- 
ally near  remnants  of  the  prehistoric  irrigation  ditches  that  one  con- 
stantly encounters  in  these  regions. 

The  level  plains  bordering  the  Gila  River  and  its  tributaries  were 
inhabited  in  prehistoric  times  by  an  agricultural  people  having  a 
homogeneous  culture.  The  prehistoric  inhabitants  built  houses  of 
two  types :  the  one  large,  often  several  stories  high,  with  massive 
walls,  and  the  other,  of  more  fragile  character,  serving  for  their 
dwellings.  The  material  with  which  the  latter  were  built  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  constructed  were  not  sufficiently  durable 
to  resist  the  elements,  and  the  walls  have  fallen,  augmenting  the 
height  of  the  debris  accumulated  at  their  foundations.  Sand  blown 
by  winds  has  drifted  over  the  ruins,  covering  the  rooms  and  forming 
mounds  over  them,  from  which,  in  a  few  cases,  there  still  project, 
a  few  feet  high,  irregular  fragments  of  the  original  walls. 

When  the  Gila  Valley  was  first  visited  by  the  Spanish  explorers 
the  projecting  walls  of  these  buildings  were  more  plainly  visible  than 
at  present  and  their  true  character  and  architecture  were  more  ap- 
parent. It  was  at  that  time  easier  to  recognize  the  characteristic 
type  of  structure  of  the  buildings  to  which  they  belonged,  for  the 
walls  are  now  almost  completely  buried.  The  massive  walled  build- 
ings in  these  plains  were  early  called  Casas  Grandes,  or  Great 
Houses,2  one  of  the  best  of  which,  the  historic  Casa  Grande,  still 
preserves  the  ancient  type.  A  knowledge  of  these  houses,  derived 
from  laying  bare  the  walls  by  excavations,  shows  that  in  their  form 
and  construction  they  are  characteristic.  They  differ  radically  from 
cliff  dwellings,  pueblos,  or  those  other  prehistoric  constructions  in 
our  Southwest,3  with  which,  however,  they  have  certain  affinities. 


1  Many  artificial  mounds   in  the  Gila  Valley  show  no   indication  of  walls. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  those  formed  of  refuse  or  trash  heaps  and 
accumulations  of  earth  incidentally  thrown  up  in  digging  reservoirs  or  irriga- 
tion ditches.     The  sites  of  "mescal  pits"  or  depressions  in  the  earth  where 
mescal  was  formerly  roasted  are  indicated  by  earth  much  darker  than  that  of 
the  surrounding  plain. 

2  The  words  "Casas  Grandes"  and  Great  Houses  are  used  as  synonyms  of 
compounds. 

3  The  four  types  of  prehistoric  dwellings  in  the  Southwest  may  be  known  as : 
(i)    cavate  habitations;    (2)    cliff  dwellings;    (3)    pueblos;    (4)    compounds. 
The  essential  difference  between  (i)  and  (2)  is  that  the  former  are  dug  out 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  405 

The  architectural  features  of  these  prehistoric  buildings  of  the 
Gila  plains  is  well  shown  in  the  historic  Casa  Grande,  which  may  be 
designated,  for  purposes  of  study,  a  "type  ruin."  Its  walls  have  now 
been  excavated  and  are  well  preserved,  showing  the  best  example 
of  other  Casas  Grandes  scattered  over  the  valley  of  the  Gila  and  its 
largest  tributary,  the  Salt  River.  The  predominating  feature  of  this 
Gila  type  of  ruin  is  a  rectangular  inclosure  bounded  by  a  massive 
wall  oriented  about  north  and  south  and  inclosing  buildings,  large 
and  small,  courts,  and  plazas.  From  the  universal  existence  of  a 
protective  surrounding  wall,  the  author  has  designated  this  type  of 
prehistoric  ruin  a  "compound"  to  distinguish  it  from  other  prehis- 
toric ruins  of  the  Southwest  above  mentioned,  with  which  it  has 
little  in  common. 

Although  the  more  striking  mounds  of  this  valley  are  formed  of 
the  debris  of  these  great  houses,  or  Casas  Grandes,  there  is  good 
evidence  that  the  prehistoric  inhabitants  built  synchronously  with 
these  other  less  conspicuous  dwellings,  which  are  not  unlike  the 
ancestral  dwellings  of  the  Pima,  Sobypuri,1  and  Papago.  These 
dwellings  were  rectangular  in  form.  Their  walls  were  supported 
by  upright  logs,  between  which  were  woven  matting  or  possibly 
branches  of  the  cactus  called  ocatilla,  the  whole  frame  being  covered 
with  adobe.  The  floors  of  such  houses  were  made  of  mud  firmly 
trodden  down,  while  the  fireplace  was  a  simple  depression  near  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  generally  in  front  of  a  doorway  opening  in  the 
longest  side.  We  may  suppose  that  the  roof  was  also  constructed 
of  mud  laid  on  boughs  or  split  logs,  the  interstices  being  filled 
with  mud. 

A  typical  prehistoric  settlement  of  the  Gila  may  be  supposed  to 
have  been  composed  of  buildings  constructed  of  massive  walls  one 
or  more  stories  high  and  smaller  huts  or  jacales  (Aztec,  xa,  earth; 
calli,  houses),  the  upright  walls  of  which  were  supported  by  logs. 
Both  types  of  houses  occur  in  the  rectangular  area  that  has  been 


of  the  cliff,  while  the  latter  have  taken  advantage  of  natural  caverns.  The 
two  types  grade  into  each  other,  and  no  strict  line  of  demarkation  separates 
one  from  the  other.  The  essential  feature  of  the  compound  is  the  surround- 
ing wall,  which  is  sometimes  morphologically  represented  in  aboriginal  build- 
ings known  as  pueblos. 

*The  walls  of  houses  of  rancherias  of  the  Sobypuri  in  the  San  Pedro  are 
spoken  of  by  Father  Kino  as  made  of  "palos"  (sticks)  and  "petates"  (mat- 
ting), the  chinks  being  filled  in  with  clay  or  mud.  No  reference  is  made  in 
his  account  of  buildings  in  this  valley  with  massive  walls,  although  the 
"capilla"  at  Victoria  may  have  been  a  special  house  made  of  stone  and  set 
aside  for  ceremonial  purposes. 


406  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

called  a  compound  inclosed  by  a  massive  wall  over  breast  high  for 
protection.1 

In  some  instances  nothing  remains  of  the  larger  buildings,  in 
others  there  is  no  indication  of  those  with  more  fragile  walls,  but  in 
both  cases  the  surrounding  wall  is  present  and  constructed  of  clay 
or  stone,  whichever  material  was  most  convenient  for  the  builder. 
The  two  kinds  of  rooms  would  seem  to  indicate  a  dual  use,2  or  that 
the  rooms  with  massive  walls  were  constructed  for  a  purpose  dif- 
ferent from  those  with  fragile  walls  supported  by  logs.  The  former 
may  be  supposed  to  have  been  used  for  ceremonials,  councils,  protec- 
tion from  foes,  or  for  granaries,  while  the  latter  served  simply  as 
habitations. 

If  the  number  of  walled  compounds  in  the  Gila  Valley  is  any 
indication  of  its  former  population,  it  is  apparent,  from  their  number, 
that  many  people  inhabited  this  part  of  southern  Arizona  in  prehis- 
toric times.  As  bearing  on  this  point,  attention  may  also  be  called 
to  the  fact  that  the  ancient  aboriginal  population  was  more  or  less 
scattered  and  not  confined  to  these  great  compounds,  or  even  to  their 
immediate  vicinity,  for  there  is  abundant  reason  to  suppose  that  they 
had  many  dwellings  on  farms  situated  between  them  and  dotting 
what  is  now  a  desert.  The  prehistoric  population  of  the  Gila  Valley 
may  have  risen  into  the  thousands,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
the  number  of  Indians  in  the  valley  at  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards 
could  not  have  been  more  than  a  tithe  of  what  it  was  in  prehistoric 
times. 

For  convenience  in  the  presentation  of  the  subject,  the  prehistoric 
compounds  of  the  Gila  Valley  have  been  grouped  geographically  as 
follows:  i,  Compounds  on  the  Gila;  2,  Compounds  in  the  Santa  Cruz 
Valley ;  3,  Compounds  in  the  Salt  River  Valley. 

The  first  of  the  above  groups  includes  those  mounds  of  Great 
Houses  scattered  all  the  way  from  the  upper  Gila,3  or  the  vallev 


1  Refuse  heaps  and  other  artificial  mounds  without  walls  are  almost  always 
found  just  outside  the  surrounding  walls  of  the  compounds. 

~  dishing,  who  apparently  found  the  same  "thin-walled"  buildings,  ascribed 
them  to  an  "ultra  urban"  population,  and  Bandelier  (Final  Report)  suggests 
that  they  were  late  Pima  constructions.  There  seems  no  good  reason  to  doubt 
that  they  were  dwellings  as  old  as  the  massive-walled  structures  and  con- 
structed by  the  same  race. 

3  Mr.  F.  H.  Gushing  writes,  "Preliminary  Notes,"  p.  184 :  "Contemplating  the 
numerous  structures  in  no  fewer  than  thirteen  cities,  scattered  throughout  a 
single  valley  not  exceeding  seven  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  *  *  *  we 
are  impressed  not  only  by  the  prodigious  industrial  energy  of  their  builders 
and  makers,  but  also  by  the  unavoidable  conclusion  that  they  harbored  popula- 
tions far  denser  and  more  numerous  than  heretofore  had  been  deemed  ( by- 
scientists  at  large)  possible,  in  reference  to  any  group  of  ancient  North 
American  remains." 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  407 

called  Pueblo  Viejo,  to  the  so-called  Gila  Crossing;  the  compounds 
of  the  Salt  River  are  strung  along  this  river  from  near  Mesa  to  the 
junction  of  the  Salt  and  Gila,  while  the  Great  Houses  of  the  Santa 
Cruz  extend  from  the  old  missions  at  Tubac  and  Tumacacori,  in 
southern  Arizona,  past  the  mission,  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  to  the 
isolated  peak  Picacho  and  the  point  where  this  river  is  lost  in  the 
sands  of  the  desert.  Mounds  marking  the  former  sites  of  these 
Great  Houses  occur  on  both  sides  of  the  rivers  mentioned  near  to  or 
remote  from  their  banks. 

There  are  evidences  that  these  Casas  Grandes  were  most  numerous 
in  regions  of  the  Gila  Valley,  where  at  the  present  day  the  white 
population  is  the  densest.1  In  other  words,  large  settlements  of 
Americans  now  occupy  some  of  the  same  sites  that  the  aborigines 
chose  for  the  construction  of  their  compounds.  This  occupation  by 
a  later  race  has  led  in  some  instances,  as  at  Tucson,  the  oldest  white 
settlement  in  Arizona,  to  the  almost  complete  destruction  of  all  evi- 
dences of  these  Great  Houses  of  the  aborigines.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  settlements  near  Phoenix  and  Mesa,  where  we  note  the  same 
reduction  in  size  and  rapid  disappearance  of  the  ancient  mounds. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  desert  south  of  the  Gila,  at  Casa  Grande,  or 
the  plains  of  the  Santa  Cruz  between  Red  Rock  and  the  "mouth"2 
of  the  river,  show  mounds  indicative  of  former  Casas  Grandes  more 
scattered,  smaller  in  size,  and  fewer  in  number. 

It  appears  that  the  valley  of  the  Salt  River  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Phoenix,  Tempe,  and  Mesa  was  the  most  densely  populated  region  of 
this  whole  drainage  area  and  apparently  contained  the  oldest  settle- 
ments. These  facts  may  be  ascribed  to  the  ease  with  which  the 
plains  in  this  region  could  be  irrigated  as  compared  with  other  parts 
of  the  valley,  or  may  have  been  due  to  the  presence  of  more  fertile 
land  in  those  localities. 

The  mounds  in  the  valley  above  mentioned  are  known  to  the 
Pima  Indians  as  the  old  houses  (vaaki)  and  are  associated  with 
certain  chiefs,  called  civans,  whose  names  vary  with  localities.  The 
following  ruins  and  corresponding  chiefs,  recorded  by  Dr.  Frank 
Russell  in  his  monograph3  on  the  Pima  Indians,  may  be  mentioned : 


1  In  the  upper  Salt  we  find  several  other  types  of  ruins,  the  most  striking  of 
which  are  the  two  large  cliff  dwellings  (pi.  xxxvm,  figs,  i,  2)  a  few  miles 
from  Roosevelt  Dam. 

a  Atcin,  Pima  word  for  mouth  of  the  river. 

3  26th  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology. 

According  to  the  legends  published  by  Dr.  Russell  the  Great  Houses  were 
formerly  inhabited  by  the  Vulture  or  Red  people,  the  A'kol,  A'pap,  and  A'puki. 


408  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  $2 

Casa  Grande,  Sia'-al  Tcu-vtaki,  Morning  Blue. 

Santan,  Kia'-atak,  Handle. 
Ruin  four  miles  northwest  of     Tcuf'haowo-o,  Dipper. 

Santan, 

Sweetwater,  Ta'-a,  Flying. 

Casa  Blanco,  Tco'-otcuk  Ta'tai,  Black  Sinew. 

Gila  Crossing  Ruin,  Tcu'narsat,  Lizard. 

Mesa  (name?),  A'-an  Hi'tupaki,  Feather  Breathing. 

Tempe  (name?),  Vi'ik  Fait  Ma'kai,  Soft  Feathers  Rolling. 

The  author  has  found  that  different  Indians  apply  other  names  to 
the  above  ruins,  but  although  their  nomenclature  of  individual 
mounds  varies,  all  refer  a  name  of  a  chief  to  each  of  the  larger 
clusters. 

The  geographical  center  of  the  culture  area,  characterized  by 
Great  Houses  inclosed  in  compounds,  as  indicated  by  the  largest 
number  and  purest  architectural  forms,  lies  near  Phcenix,  Tempe, 
and  Mesa.1  The  San  Pedro,  Santa  Cruz,  upper  Gila,  and  Salt  and 
the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Salt  are  frontiers  of  this  area,  the 
culture  being  considerably  modified  by  local  environment. 

For  convenience  in  treatment,  the  mounds  or  ruins  in  the  region 
under  consideration  will  be  classified  as  follows:  I,  Middle  Gila 
Valley  Compounds;  II,  Santa  Cruz  Valley  Compounds;  III,  Salt 
Valley  Compounds;  and,  IV,  Ruins  on  the  San  Pedro. 

I.  MIDDLE  GILA  VALLEY  COMPOUNDS 

The  more  prominent  of  the  Great  House  mounds  of  the  Gila  are 
the  following:  i,  Ruin  15  miles  east  of  Florence;  2,  Ruin  3  miles 
east  of  Florence;  3,  Ruin  near  Florence;  4,  Escalante  ruin;  5, 
Tcurikvaaki  (Ruin  near  Adamsville)  ;  6,  Ruin  5  miles  east  of  Casa 
Grande;  7,  Casa  Grande;  8,  Ruin  on  right  bank  of  Gila  opposite 
Blackwater;  9,  Santan;  10,  Ruin  4  miles  west  of  Santan;  n,  Snake 
ruin;  12,  Sweet  Water;  13,  Casa  Blanca;  14,  Ruins  at  Gila  Cross- 
ing. The  following  ruins  have  been  associated  with  names  of  chiefs 
(civans)  who  inhabited  them:  7,  Casa  Grande;  Sialim  tcutuk 
(Green  or  Blue)  ;  11,  Taa  (Flying)  ;  13,  Tcuk  tatai  (Black  Sinew)  ; 
14,  Tcunarsat  (Lizard). 

These  people  were  conquered  by  Elder  Brother  in  the  following  order:  (i) 
Casa  Grande;  (2)  an  extensive  "pueblo"  at  Santan,  the  pueblo  of  chief  Tcuf- 
haowo-o;  (3)  Sweetwater,  ruled  by  Ta'-a;  (4)  Casa  Blanca,  pueblo  of 
Tco'-otcuk  Ta'tai;  (5)  Vultures  pueblo;  (6)  Tcu'narsat's  pueblo  at  Gila 
Crossing;  (7)  that  of  A' an  Hi'tupaki  at  Mesa;  and  (8)  Vi'ik  I'alt  Ma'kai, 
at  Tempe. 

rThe  Septenary  arrangement  of  these  Great  Houses  and  compounds  to 
which  Mr.  F.  H.  Gushing,  op.  cit.,  ascribed  considerable  importance  is  not 
evident. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES 


409 


The  architectural  features  characteristic  of  the  Great  Houses  in 
the  middle  Gila  appear  also  in  the  ruins  in  the  upper  Gila,  or  the 
so-called  Pueblo  Viejo,  Old  Pueblo,  in  which  are  situated  the  towns 
San  Jose,  Solomonsville,  Safford,  and  Pima,  considered  in  a  previous 
report1  on  the  ruins  of  that  region. 

There  are  many  localities  in  this  region  of  the  Gila  Valley  where 
there  are  fine  examples  of  ancient  pictographs,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  those  cut  on  cliffs  near  Sacaton  and  on  the  lava  hills 
north  of  the  river.  About  six  miles  east  of  Florence  there  are 
pictured  rocks  that  are  particularly  interesting. 

i. — RUIN  15  MILES  EAST  OF  FLORENCE  2 

This  ruin  (fig.  65)  has  the  rectangular  shape  characteristic  of 
a  compound,  and  its  surrounding  wall  measures  approximately 
232  by  1 20  feet.  It  is  sit- 
uated a  few  miles  north 
of  the  old  road  from 
Florence  to  Old  Fort 
Grant.  Not  far  from 
this  ruin  there  can  still 
be  seen  two  old  reser- 
voirs, called  by  the  Pi- 
mas  "vashki"  and  by 
the  Americans  "Indian 
tanks."  One  of  these 
contained  water  at  the 

time  of  the  author's  visit;  the  bank3  of  the  other  tank  was  washed 
out  and  cut  in  two,  so  that  it  resembled  two  mounds  and  is  so  desig- 
nated by  the  cow-men  who  have  stock  in  this  region.  One  of  these 
''vashki'  or  "Indian  tanks,"  (fig.  66)  is  identical  in  shape  with  the 
problematically  "oval  mound"  at  Casa  Grande,  suggesting  a  simi- 
larity in  use. 

1 22d  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology.  The  compound 
as  a  distinct  type  of  Southwestern  ruin  was  not  recognized  in  this  report.  It 
is  recognizable  at  the  Epley  Mound,  which  is  the  central  citadel  of  a  compound 
near  Solomonsville. 

2  Florence,  the  capital  of  Final  County,  is  the  most  conveniently  placed  city 
from  which  to  visit  most  of  the  Gila  compounds  in  the  eastern  region,  and 
Sacaton,  the  Pima  agency,  is  the  best  point  of  departure  for  those  visiting 
ruins  on  the  Pima  reservation. 

3  There  are  no  walls  built  around  the  depressions,  but  they  are  surrounded 
by  a  bank  of  earth  thrown  out  of  the  depression.     This  fact  was  determined 
by  digging  a  cross-section  of  the  bank  of  the  "oval  mound"  at  Casa  Grande. 


FIG.  65. — Compound  15  miles  east  of  Florence 


SMITHSONIAN*    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

Another  so-called  "Indian  tank,"  situated  in  a  valley  six  miles 
from  the  two  reservoirs  mentioned  above,  was  used  by  Sr.  Paisano 
for  watering  his  stock  when  the  author  visited  the  place.  It  con- 
tained considerable  water  at  that  time  (March),  and  from  its  geo- 
graphical position  is  supposed  to  be  the  reservoir  in  the  valley  west 
of  the  Tortilla  Mountains,  which  is  designated  as  a  "tank"  on  the 
United  States  engineers'  map  of  1879.  Everything  indicates  that 
this  is  undoubtedly  an  old  Indian  reservoir. 

2. — RUIN  3  MILES  EAST  OF  FLORENCE 

This  ruin,  having  the  form  of  a  low  mound,  is  situated  not  far 
from  the  main  irrigation  ditch  of  Florence  and  about  three  miles 


FIG.  66. — Ancient  Reservoir 

east  of  that  town.  Although  the  compound  form  is  not  easily 
detected  in  this  mound,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  belongs  to  the 
characteristic  ruins  of  the  Gila-Salt  Valley.  The  absence  of  smaller 
mounds  in  its  neighborhood  indicates  that  this  settlement  was  never 
of  great  size  or  importance.  In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
the  modern  irrigation  ditch  that  now  furnishes  Florence  with  water 
were  found  several  sections  of  a  much  older,  perhaps  prehistoric, 
ditch  that  once  irrigated  the  fields  cultivated  by  the  aborigines 
near  the  settlement. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC   RUINS  IN   GILA  VALLEY FEWKES  4!  I 

3. — RUIN  NEAR  FLORENCE 

This  mound  is  of  considerable  size  and  is  situated  a  short  walk 
from  the  town,  on  the  south  side,  near  a  settlement  of  Papagos.  It 
is  referred  to  in  the  author's  account1  of  excavations  made  at  Casa 
Grande  in  1906-07,  where  a  plan  of  the  compound  is  published. 

The  author  visited  the  large  modern  reservoir  south  of  Florence 
and  searched  carefully  for  a  "ruin"  which  is  designated  on  several 
maps,  but  failed  to  find  it.  A  small  mound  was  discovered  near 
the  bank  of  the  reservoir,  but  larger  "buildings"  which  were  re- 
ported by  several  Americans  did  not  materialize.2  There  are 
mounds  in  the  broad  stretch  of  desert  between  the  reservoir  and 
the  prehistoric  buildings  at  Picacho  which  several  reliable  men 
whose  stock  "run"  in  this  region  have  described  in  detail,  but  the 
author  was  unable  to  locate  them  with  any  certainty. 

4. — ESCALANTE  RUIN 

It  is  recorded  that  when  Father  Kino's  party,  in  1694,  followed 
down  the  left  bank  of  the  Gila,  Sargent  Escalante  and  some  com- 
rades swam  this  river  to  visit  a  ruin  the  walls  of  which  they  had 
observed  on  the  opposite  bank.  All  that  now  remains  of  this' 
"tower"  is  supposed  to  be  the  mound  situated  about  a  mile  west  of 
Posten's  Butte,  which  is  nearly  opposite  Florence  and  about  the 
same  distance  from  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 

Mr.  H.  C.  Hodge  thus  refers  to  a  ruin  not  far  from  Florence: 

"Four  miles  to  the  west  of  Florence,  on  the  line  of  the  canal,  are  the  ruins 
of  another  old  town,  the  outlines  of  some  of  the  buildings  being  easily  traced. 
One  of  them  is  120  feet  long,  and  80  feet  wide.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  wall 
of  concrete  and  stone,  portions  of  which  now  remain ;  and  this  wall  was  130 
feet  long  on  two  sides  of  the  building  and  225  feet  long  on  the  other  two  sides, 
forming  a  kind  of  court-yard  enclosing  the  buildings.  This  court-yard  was 
filled  in  on  the  south  and  east  sides  with  earth  to  the  depth  of  four  feet."  3 

Possibly  the  ruin  here  referred  to  is  that  which  the  author  has 
called  the  Escalante  ruin,  or  it  may  be  Tcurikvaaki. 

Although  the  standing  wall  that  once  attracted  Escalante's  atten- 
tion as  a  tower  has  now  fallen,  a  high  mound  marking  the  position 
of  a  massive  walled  building  or  "citadel"  and  the  low  ridge,  indi- 


1  Smithsonian   Miscellaneous   Collections.     Quarterly   Issue,   Vol.    IV,   p.   3, 
1907. 

~  One  or  more  were  possibly  destroyed  when  the  reservoir  was  constructed. 
"Arizona  as  it  is,  or  the  Coming  Country,  1877,  p.  182. 


412 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  52 


eating  the  surrounding  wall  of  a  compound  (fig.  67),  can  still  be 
traced.  Rough  measurements  of  the  last-mentioned  wall  show  that 
its  dimensions  were  about  210  feet  by  120  feet.  The  ruin  is  situated 
not  far  from  the  railroad  from  Mesa  City  to  Florence.  In  the 
springtime  it  can  be  readily  seen  from  a  distance  as  a  mound  of 
earth  looming  above  the  cacti  and  mesquites.  The  walls  of  this  ruin 
were  partially  constructed  of  stones,  none  of  which  now  project  to 
any  considerable  height  above  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

Apparently  the  Escalante  compound  had,  in  addition  to  a  cen- 
trally placed  building,  a  cluster  of  rooms  in  its  northwest  corner. 
There  are  also  other  mounds  near  it,  indicating  rooms  .in  the  neigh- 
borhood, although  some  of  these  show  no  signs  of  walls  and  were 
evidently  piles  of  debris  or  rubbish  heaps. 

This  settlement  was  supplied  with  water  by  one  of  the  best- 
preserved  ancient  irrigating  ditches  the  writer  has  seen  in  the 

Gila-Salt  Valley.  This 
ditch  follows  the  Gila 
from  a  point  several 
miles  higher  up  the 
river  and  extends  to 
the  neighborhood  of 
the  Escalante  ruin, 
where  it  is  lost  in 
"laterals"  or  minor 
subdivisions.  At  a 
point  near  Posten's 
Butte,  the  southern 
side  of  which  it  skirts. 


FIG.  67. — Escalante  Ruin 


the  banks  of  this  prehistoric  ditch  are  head  high  and  can  be  traced 
for  many  hundred  feet  without  difficulty.  The  writer  has  been 
informed  by  an  old  Mexican,  who  lives  in  Florence,  that  when  a 
boy  he  saw  old  stumps  of  logs  in  this  ditch  at  the  point  where  the 
banks  are  highest  and  he  believed  that  these  stumps  were  remnants 
of  a  prehistoric  gate. 

In  the  following  quotation  Mr.  H.  C.  Hodge1  refers  to  a  pre- 
historic irrigation  ditch  on  the  north  side  of  the  Gila  near  Posten's 
Butte : 

"About  two  miles  west  of  Florence,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  between 
the  homes  of  Mr.  Stiles  and  Mr.  Long,  is  a  stretch  of  hard,  stony  land, 
through  which  another  of  the  large  irrigating  canals  was  cut,  and  where  for 
several  hundred  yards  one  can  ride  on  horseback  in  the  canal,  which  is  yet  so 
deep  one  cannot  look  over  its  banks  on  either  side  when  sitting  on  his  horse." 


Arizona  as  it  is,  or  the  Coming  Country,  1877,  p.  182. 


NO.  1873       PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES 


413 


CLAN  HOUS£ 


5.— TCURIK  VAAKI 

There  is  a  large  ruin  a  short  distance  south  of  the  abandoned 
American  village,  Adamsville,  called  also  Sanford's  Mill,  which  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  instructive  in  the  valley.  The  Pima 
name  for  Adamsville  is  tciirik,  the  Turk's  head  cactus,  which  would 
seem  an  appropriate  name  for 
the  neighboring  ruin.  It  con- 
sists of  a  cluster  of  mounds 
(fig.  68),  among  which  rises  a 
large  central  elevation  that 
may  be  identified  as  the  citadel 
of  a  compound.  In  addition, 
there  is  a  clan  house  with  four 
well-preserved  walls  above 
ground  and  an  oval  depres- 
sion surrounded  by  a  bank  of 
earth  which  may  have  been  a 
vashki  or  ancient  reservoir. 
The  most  conspicuous  of  these 
mounds  is  the  citadel,  which 
looms  high  above  the  plain 

and  is  visible  for  a  considerable  distance,  but  the  walls1  that  are  best 
preserved  are  those  of  the  clan  house  a  few  hundred  feet  away. 

6. — RUIN  5  MILES  EAST  OF  CASA  GRANDE 

This  ruin  is  conspicuous  for  a  considerable  distance,  its  largest 
mound  or  citadel  being  clearly  visible  from  the  last-mentioned 
mound.  It  lies  about  half  way  between  Tcurik  vaaki  and  Casa 
Grande  and  was  apparently  once  a  settlement  of  considerable  size. 
It  is  still  pointed  out  by  the  Pimas,  who  retain  the  name  Uturituk2 
for  this  place. 

Two  sections  of  the  surrounding  wall  of  this  compound  still  project 
several  feet  above  ground  on  the  east  side,  indicating  that  it  was 
similar  to  the  surrounding  wall  of  the  Casa  Grande  compound. 

There  are  prehistoric  mounds  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Gila  about 
opposite  Blackwater,  not  far  from  a  modern  Pima  settlement  con- 


" 


OLIVE 
RANCH 


FIG.  68.— Tcurik  vaaki 


1  These    are   figured   in   the   author's    account   of   the   excavations   of   Casa 
Grande  in  1907-1908. 

2  The  author  has  heard  the  ruin  Casa  Grande  called  Uturituk,  probably  a 
confusion  of  names  of  the  ancient  and  more  modern  settlement. 


414  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

taining  several  houses.  The  largest  of  those,  which  may  be  called 
conspicuous,  is  situated  a  few  feet  from  a  house  belonging  to  the 
mother  of  Juan  Enos,  a  Pima  workman  employed  by  the  author  in 
his  work  at  Casa  Grande.  No  walls  of  buildings  stand  out  of  the 
ground,  but  the  general  character  of  the  mounds  show  that  in  form 
the  ruins  were  compounds  like  those  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 
There  are  many  pictographs  on  the  lava  hills  north  of  this  mound, 
which  resemble  those  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustrations  (pi. 
xxxix ). 

7.— CASA  GRANDE 

The  general  character  and  architectural  features  of  the  Casa 
Grande  cluster  of  mounds  will  be  described  elsewhere1  and  will 
therefore  not  be  here  considered. 

A  lagoon  mentioned  in  early  writings  as  Cumani  or  Laguna  was 
probably  situated  not  far  from  where  the  Santa  Cruz  in  times  of 
flood  empties  into  the  Gila.  The  mouth  of  the  river  is  near  Sacaton 
Flats,  known  to  the  Pimas  as  Huring,  "place  of  the  standing 
cactus,"  and  is  mentioned  by  Fathers  Font,  Garces,  and  other  early 
visitors.  The  name  Cumani  is  adopted  from  their  writings. 

8. — RUIN  OPPOSITE  BLACKWATER 

The  Pima  village  called  Blackwater,  near  Casa  Grande,  is  com- 
paratively modern,  its  inhabitants  being  descendants  of  certain 
families  which  moved  there  from  Casa  Blanca  a  few  years  ago. 
Previously,  however,  or  at  the  time  Casa  Grande  was  first  visited 
by  the  Spaniards,  there  was  a  Pima  settlement  near  its  site,  called 
Uturituk  or  the  place  at  the  angle  or  corner.2  Although  the  exact 
site  of  Uturituk  is  now  washed  away,  the  banks  of  the  river  at  that 
point  having  been  much  modified  by  the  changes  in  its  current 
from  the  approximate  position. 

9. — SANTAN  RUIN 

There  are  mounds  at  Santan,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Gila,  oppo- 
site Sacaton.3  These  mounds  resemble  those  of  Casa  Grande  and 


1  A  view  of  the  largest  compound  is  shown  in  the  author's  preliminary  re- 
port on  Casa  Grande  for  1907-1908. 

2  Referring  to  the  island  in  the  Gila  near  this  place.     Dr.  Russell  calls  Casa 
Grande,  Tcooltuk,  Pima  word  for  "corner,"  which  is  believed  to  be  a  part  of 
the  sivan  or  chiefs  name,  Sialtcutuk,  Morning  Blue,  or  Green. 

3  Good  views  of  the  Santan  Ruin,  the  ruin  west  of  Santan,  and  that  at  Sweet- 
water  are  given  by  Dr.  Russell  in  26th  Ann.  Rept.  Bur.  Amer.  Eth.,  pi.  iv, 
a,  b,  and  c. 


VOL.   52,    PL.   XXXIX 


PICTOGRAPHS  FROM  GILA-SALT  VALLEY 


NO.  1873       PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  415 

preserve  traces  of  the  same  compound  architecture  or  buildings  with 
a  surrounding  wall.  They  show  signs  of  sporadic  digging  by  ama- 
teurs, but  have  never  been  systematically  excavated. 

10. — RUIN  4  MILES  WEST  OF  SANTAN 

This  ruin,  like  that  at  Santan,  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Gila  and  is  a  large  mound  surrounded  by  a  rectangular  wall.  It 
apparently  belongs  to  the  compound  type. 

ii. — SNAKE  RUIN 

Snake  Ruin,  north  of  the  Gila,  was  not  visited  by  the  author. 
From  reports  it  is  believed  to  be  a  compound. 

12. — SWEET  WATER  RUIN 

There  is  a  low  mound  surrounded  by  a  wall  to  the  left  of  the  road 
from  Sacaton  to  Casa  Blanca  which  shows  the  compound  type.  A 
plan  of  this  compound  has  been  published  in  a  preliminary  report  on 
Casa  Grande. 

13.— CASA  BLANCA  RUIN 

The  mounds  at  Casa  Blanca  are  among  the  largest  in  the  Gila 
Valley  and  the  compound  wall  of  one  of  them  is  most  extensive. 
In  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  according  to  a  contemporary 
writer,  the  walls  of  this  building  projected  above  the  ground,  but 
today  they  are  level  with  the  surface  of  the  mound,  though  they 
can  be  readily  traced.  The  mounds  in  the  neighborhood  indicate 
that  this  was  formerly  a  settlement  of  importance  and  large  size.1 
A  considerable  number  of  Pima  Indians,  possibly  descendants  of  the 
ancients,  now  inhabit  a  cluster  of  houses  west  of  the  main  mounds. 

14. — RUIN  AT  GILA  CROSSING  2 

The  mounds  situated  a  short  distance  from  Gila  Crossing  are 
extensive,  but  have  not  been  studied  by  the  author.  From  descrip- 
tions by  those  who  have  visited  them,  it  appears  that  one  or  more 


1  Smithsonian  Miscellaneous  Collections,  Quarterly  Issue,  Vol.  IV,  1907.  This 
was  a  vaaki  of  considerable  size,  having  one  or  more  compounds,  clan  houses, 
burial  mounds,  and  a  large  circular  or  oval  well  or  reservoir  with  low  banks. 
The  indications  are  that  its  size  was  greater  than  that  of  the  Casa  Grande 
group  of  buildings. 

2  This  compound  is  called  by  some  of  the  Pimas  Tcunarsat  vaaki,  or  Lizard 
Old  House.     Many  folk  tales  are  current  among  Pimas  and  Papagos  concern- 
ing it. 


4l6  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  $2 

has  the  true  compound  form  or  type  identical  with  the  Casa  Grande 
and  Florence  region. 

It  is  desirable  to  explore  the  mounds  reported  from  Gila  Bend, 
which  are  supposed  to  be  old  habitations  of  the  ancestors  of  the 
Maricopas. 

II.  SANTA  CRUZ  RIVER  COMPOUNDS 

The  mounds  indicating  Casas  Grandes  along  the  Santa  Cruz 
have  the  same  general  characters  as  those  of  the  Gila  and  Salt 
rivers.  The  typical  compound  architecture  characteristic  of  the 
plains  along  the  Gila  almost  universally  prevails  in  this  region. 

The  Santa  Cruz  is  not  a  constant  stream,  but  in  portions  of  its 
course  may  be  called  a  subterranean  river,  the  water  literally  flow- 
ing as  a  subway  sometimes  at  a  considerable  depth.  Near  the  Gila 
it  is  generally  just  below  the  surface,  but  its  presence  above  ground 
is  indicated  by  alkali  lagoons,  as  at  "Cumani,"  not  far  from  Sacaton 
Flats.  There  are  several  mounds  of  large  size  along  the  valley  of 
this  river  marking  the  sites  of  former  Casas  Grandes.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  the  Picacho  settlement  and  those  in  the 
vicinity  of  Tucson,  the  most  ancient  Spanish  settlement  in  Arizona. 
Numerous  large  ruins  south  of  Casa  Grande  railroad  station,  near 
the  road  to  the  Vekol  and  other  mines,  belong  to  this  same  drainage 
area. 

The  Casas  Grandes  of  the  Santa  Cruz  will  be  considered  under  the 
following  headings:  I,  Ruins  near  Tucson;  2,  Chakayuma;  3, 
Aquituno ;  4,  Quitoac ;  5,  Ruins  near  Kwahadt  Indian  Villages. 

i. — RUINS  NEAR  TUCSON 

The  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz  from  the  city  of  Tucson  south 
appears  to  have  been  the  most  densely  populated  in  prehistoric  times. 
In  this  part  of  the  valley  the  stream  rose  to  the  surface,  and  the 
supply  of  water  was  probably  more  constant  here  than  farther  down 
the  river,  where  it  was  less  available  for  agricultural  purposes. 

The  author  failed  to  find  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
Tucson  any  large  mounds,  such  as  occur  in  the  deserts  near  Casa 
Grande  or  in  the  midst  of  the  cultivated  fields  at  Mesa  and  Phoenix, 
but  near  the  city  there  are  mounds  bearing  evidences  of  several  old 
Indian  rancherias  or  vaaki.1  These,  however,  have  been  consider- 
ably reduced  in  size  and  so  worn  down  that  in  most  instances  they 


1  The  term  bac  in  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  Tubac,  and  other  names  of  settle- 
ments or  sites  may  be  a  contraction  of  vaaki,  old  house  or  old  ruined  house. 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS 


VOL.   52,    PL.   XL 


RUIN  AT  EL  RANCHO  DEL  TUCSON 


NO.  1873       PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  417 

are  inconspicuous.  The  land  in  this  neighborhood  has  been  culti- 
vated for  several  generations,  the  valley  at  this  point  being  one  of 
the  earliest  settled  portions  of  Arizona. 

About  a  mile  south  of  the  site  of  the  former  presidio  of  Tucson 
there  are  remains  of  old  mounds  (pi  XL,  figs,  a,  &),  out  of  which, 
according  to  Hon.  Samuel  Hughes,  who  settled  in  Tucson  in  1853, 
there  formerly  rose  cajon  or  caliche  walls.  One  of  these  mounds 
was  of  considerable  size,  suggesting  the  central  building  of  a  com- 
pound. The  author  has  been  informed  by  several  persons  that 
formerly  low  massive  walls  projected  out  of  this  mound,  which 
statement,  if  true,  would  indicate  that  this  was  actually  a  compound. 
It  is  about  the  center  of  a  group.  In  the  immediate  neighborhood 
there  is  a  cluster  of  Papago  huts,  the  place  being  known  to  old  resi- 
dents as  El  Rancho  del  Tucson.1 

The  first  mission  at  Tucson  was  called  by  the  oldest  inhabitants 
Casa  de  los  Padres,  and  was  established  at  another  Indian  settlement 
on  what  is  now  the  Grosetta  Ranch,  about  three  miles  down  the 
Santa  Cruz  from  Tucson.  The  rancheria  Santa  Catalina  was  not 
far  from  this  neighborhood.  Here  and  at  various  other  points  on 
the  Rillito,  up  the  Santa  Cruz  north  and  northwest  of  the  old  Rancho 
del  Tucson,  there  are  low  mounds  on  which  are  still  found  scattered 
fragments  of  Indian  pottery  indicating  ancient  aboriginal  rancherias. 
It  is,  however,  extremely  difficult  to  distinguish  historic  from  pre- 
historic sites  of  dwellings,  both  of  which  are  found  in  numbers  near 
Tucson,  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rillito  and  Santa  Cruz. 

The  elevated  land  west  of  the  city  of  Tucson  called  Tumanoac 
or  Lizard  Hill,  has  on  its  sides  and  near  its  summit  walls,  trin- 
cheras,  or  lines2  of  fortifications  constructed  of  blocks  of  lava,  near 
which  are  many  boulders  bearing  pictographs,  thus  indicating  the 
former  presence  of  the  aborigines. 

Some  of  the  best  pictographs  in  this  region,  the  general  character 
of  which  appears  in  the  accompanying  plate3  (pl.xLi),  are  clustered 
on  the  cliffs  about  5  miles  west  of  Tucson. 

1  Several  writers  assert  that  the  Pima  word  Tucson  means  black  water,  but 
other  informants  declare  that  it  means  black  foothills;  took,  black;  son,  foot- 
hills, referring  to  the  laval  flows  of  the  Tucson  Mountains. 

2  Similar  lines  of  stones  set  upright  are  also  found  in  the  valley.     These 
could  hardly  be  called  trincheras.    Their  interpretation  is  doubtful. 

3  From  a  photograph  by  Dr.  MacDougal.  Director  of  the  Carnegie  Desert 
Laboratory,  to  whom  the  author  is  indebted  for  an  opportunity  of  visiting  this 
localitv. 


418  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Santa  Cruz  Valley,  in  the  Tortilla  Moun- 
tains opposite  Tucson,  there  are  several  ruins,  some  of  which  have 
walls  standing  high  out  of  the  ground.1 

2. — CHAKAYUMA 

This  ruin  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  northwest  point  of  the  Tucson 
Mountains,  about  18  miles  from  Tucson,  opposite  the  station  Rillitor 
on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  The  face  of  the  mountain,  called 
by  Garces  "Frenta  Negra,"  bears  many  pictographs,  and  lines  of 
trincheras,  fortifications,  are  still  visible  on  the  summit.  The  settle- 
ment spreads  over  several  acres,  the  houses  consisting  of  low  mounds, 
with  indistinct  evidences  of  walls  and  many  fragments  of  pottery. 
The  sites  of  these  houses  are  generally  marked  by  rows  of  stones 
set  on  edge.  These  stones  in  some  cases  formerly  supported  and 
protected  the  bases  of  the  walls,  which  were  held  upright  by  logs 
now  much  decayed.  Shallow  excavations  at  this  place  revealed 
the  face  of  the  wall  in  which  these  upright  stones  had  been  set  and 
a  hard  clay  floor,  upon  which  was  generally  found  a  layer  of  char- 
coal. Evidently  the  stones  served  the  same  purpose  as  the  logs 
found  at  Casa  Grande,  the  remainder  of  the  walls  and  the  roof 
being  constructed  of  perishable  material,  possibly  brush  or  ocatilla 
cactus. 

Several  good  vases,  one  of  them  in  the  collection  of  the  University 
of  Arizona,  at  Tucson,  have  been  excavated  at  this  ruin,  which  seems 
rich  in  specimens  and  offers  unusual  advantages  for  further  study. 

3. — AQUITUNO  RUIN   (AKUTCINY,  RUSSELL) 

There  are  several  mounds,  indicating  ancient  Casas  Grandes,  not 
far  from  the  desert  butte,  Picacho,  that  were  not  visited  by  the 
author. 

The  site  of  Cutcia  vaaki  (Kistcoit,  Russell),  frequently  mentioned 
by  the  early  Spanish  priests,  has  not  yet  been  definitely  made  out, 
but  was  possibly  east  of  Picacho,  and  maybe  the  mounds  at  Aqui- 
tuno  are  remains  of  this  settlement. 


1  A  site  near  Tucson  mentioned  in  "Garces'  Diary"  as  Laguna  still  bears  the 
same  name.  Professor  Blake,  of  the  University  of  Arizona,  has  shown  the 
author  ground  plans  of  ruins  in  the  Tortillas  and  Mr.  Brown  reports  stone 
ruins  with  high  walls. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  419 

4.— QUITOAC  RUIN  l 

Another  cluster  of  mounds  in  the  neighborhood  of  Picacho,2 
also  not  visited  by  the  author,  appears  from  reports  to  be  the  remains 
of  a  considerable  prehistoric  settlement.  In  the  time  of  the  Spanish 
fathers  there  were  apparently  several  Pima  rancherias  in  this  local- 
ity, which  was  a  constant  halting  place  in  early  visitations. 

5.— RUINS  NEAR  KWAHADT  INDIAN  VILLAGES 

South  of  the  railroad  station  called  Casa  Grande,  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  there  are  Indian  villages  inhabited  by  Kwahadts, 
Papagos,  and  Pimas.3  Near  one  of  these  settlements  there  is  a 
cluster  of  mounds,  one  or  two  of  which  are  large,  indicating  build- 
ings of  compounds  like  those  at  Casa  Grande  and  elsewhere  along 
the  Gila  and  Salt  rivers. 

The  largest  cluster  of  these  mounds  has  been  described  to  me  as 
situated  on  the  road  from  the  "Jack  Rabbit  Mine"  to  the  "Reward 
Mine,"  near  an  Indian  village  about  6  miles  south  of  the  former. 
The  informant  said  that  while  the  general  appearance  of  the  mounds 
resembled  those  of  Casa  Grande,  there  were  no  extensive  walls 
above  ground. 

III. — SALT  RIVER  COMPOUNDS 

The  majority  of  ancient  mounds  of  the  Salt  River  Valley  lie  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Phoenix,  Tempe,  and  Mesa  City.  Although 
house  walls  are  now  generally  hidden,  their  exposed  tops,  when 
traced,  show  the  same  compound  structure  as  those  of  the  Gila 
between  Florence  and  Casa  Blanca.  Seven  such  compounds  exist 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Phoenix,  as  shown  in  Mr.  Patrick's  map,4 


1  Kihu,  carrying  basket ;  toac,  mountain. 

2  Called  by  the  Pimas  Taatukam  (Russell)  Tacom,  which  appears  in  Spanish 
writers   as  Ttacca,   Taceo,   or   Quitcak.     Dr.   Russell  mentions   the   following 
ruins  near  Picacho :    i,   "Small  pueblo   ruin"  northeast   of  the   mountain,   15 
miles  from  the  river ;  2.,  East  of  the  mountain  "Kistcoit  Vatcik,"  Table  Tank ; 
north,  Mo' ok'  Vatcik,  Sharp  Tank;  west,  A'alt  Vap'tck,  Small  Tanks;  north- 
west of  Akutciny,  small  pueblo  ruins. 

3  The  region  extending  south  from  the  Southern   Pacific  Railroad  to  the 
Mexican  boundary  is  ethnologically  a  most  interesting  one,  pleading  for  visits 
of  both  ethnologists  and  archaeologists. 

4  The  best  published  map  we  have  of  the  distribution  of  aboriginal  ruins  and 
irrigation  ditches  in  this  region  is  by  Mr.   Patrick,  of  Phoenix,  Arizona,  to 
whom  the  author  is  indebted  for  many  kindnesses. 


420  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  $2 

and  it  is  probable  that  there  were  formerly  others  unrecorded,  which 
have  in  the  course  of  time  been  leveled  to  the  surface  of  the  culti- 
vated fields.  There  are  also  other  signs  of  former  settlements  of 
smaller  size,  many  smaller  mounds,  and  banks  of  irrigation  ditches 
and  canals  lined  with  rows  of  stones,  indicating  lateral  branches. 

In  general  appearance  the  prehistoric  mounds  of  the  Salt  River 
Valley  resemble  those  of  the  Gila,  but  the  ground  plans  of  a  few 
of  them  are  larger  than  any  of  the  Gila  Casas  Grandes.  None  of 
them  show  walls  standing  above  ground,  a  fact  indicating  great  age. 

The  Salt  River  Valley  ruins  are  commonly  regarded  by  the  Pimas 
as  older  than  those  along  the  Gila  and  Santa  Cruz.  The  legends  of 
these  Indians  declare  that  the  culture  of  their  builders  was  somewhat 
more  advanced  and  older  than  that  of  the  Gila,  but  that  the  com- 
pounds of  these  two  regions  were  inhabited  simultaneously.  It  is 
said  that  there  was  a  constant  communication  between  them,  and 
that  the  relations  were  not  always  friendly.  An  examination  of 
the  ruins  of  the  two  regions  indicates  that  those  of  the  Salt  are  more 
ancient  than  those  of  the  Gila  and  the  Santa  Cruz. 

The  Salt  River  Valley  compounds  may  be  divided  into  three 
groups :  A,  Phoenix  Ruins ;  B,  Tempe  Ruins ;  C,  Mesa  City  Ruins. 

A.— PHOENIX  RUINS 

.  The  ruins  and  prehistoric  irrigation  ditches  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Phoenix  have  been  studied  by  Mr.  Patrick,  who  as  surveyor  has 
for  many  years  professionally  visited  almost  every  part  of  this 
valley.  The  city  itself  is  built  on  the  site  of  one  or  more  prehistoric 
settlements,  which  have  long  ago  disappeared,  its  very  name  being 
derived  from  its  relation  to  other  more  ancient  settlements  of  the 
region. 

The  ruins  near  Phoenix  here  considered  may  be  grouped  as  fol- 
lows: i,  Patrick  Compound;  2,  Kalfus  Mounds;  3,  Heard  Mounds. 

i. — PATRICK  COMPOUND 

This  cluster  of  mounds  lies  on  the  left  of  the  road  from  Phoenix 
to  Tempe,  about  half  the  distance  of  the  Great  Tempe  Mound  from 
the  former  city.  In  its  neighborhood  there  are  now  many  houses, 
the  leveling  of  the  ground  for  which  has  greatly  changed  the  aspect 
of  the  place  since  the  author's  visit  in  1892,  but  outlines  of  walls 
and  ditches  can  even  now  be  traced. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — F£WKES 


421 


2. — KALFUS  MOUNDS 

West  of  Phoenix  there  are  two  large  mounds  that  may  be  called 
the  Kalfus  Mounds,  both  of  which,  especially  the  smaller,  are  being 
rapidly  destroyed.  A  road  has  been  cut  through  one  of  these  and 
the  material  is  being  rapidly  carted  away  for  use  elsewhere.1 

The  larger  of  the  two  ruins  west  of  Phcenix  has  the  compound 
shape,  its  surrounding  wall  measuring  50x3  by  260  feet,  the  orienta- 
tion being  about  north  and  south.  This  surrounding  wall  incloses 
two  large  mounds  (fig.  69)  in  addition  to  one  or  two  smaller  eleva- 
tions, which  are  evidently  remains  of  rooms.  The  material  of  one 
of  the  Kalfus  mounds  is  almost  pure  adobe,  but  there  are  no  stones 
in  the  walls.  The  larger  Kalfus  mound  was  constructed  on  a  slight 


520' 


.31 


FIG.  69. — Kalfus  Mound 

natural  elevation ;  the  smaller  of  the  compounds  measures  275  by  210 
feet. 

3. — HEARD  MouNDS2 

One  of  the  ruins  south  of  the  Salt  River,  opposite  Phcenix,  called 
Ruin  E  by  Mr.  Patrick,  has  been  considerably  leveled  by  plowing. 
It  consists  of  a  cluster  of  mounds,  including  one  with  an  oval  form 
which  is  much  mutilated.2 

It  is  very  difficult  to  trace  the  surrounding  wall  of  this  ruin  or  to 
determine  whether  it  was  a  compound,  but  another  large  mound  on- 
the  same  side  of  the  river  is  surrounded  by  a  rectangular  wall,  the 
west  side  of  which  is  about  200  feet  and  the  south  150  feet  long. 


1  This  "caleche"  is  much  sought  for  by  Americans,  as  it  makes  a  very  firm 
road-bed. 

"  The  author  was  guided  to  these  ruins  by  Mr.  Heard,  owner  of  the  property 
on  which  thev  stand. 


422  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

B.-TEMPE  RUINS. 

The  several  ruins  near  Tempe  have  the  same  general  compound 
structure  as  those  in  the  Gila  Valley,  namely,  mounds  inclosed  in 
surrounding  walls.1  It  would  appear  that  the  largest  compounds 
exist  in  this  region,  where  there  are  some  of  the  best  preserved 
prehistoric  irrigation  ditches  in  Arizona. 

There  are  several  descriptions  of  the  Tempe  ruins  that  might  be 
quoted.  Mr.  J.  H.  Bartlett's  account  is  as  follows:2 

"On  reaching  the  great  pile,  I  found  it  to  be  the  remains  of  an  adobe  edifice 
from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  by  from 
sixty  to  eighty  feet  wide,  its  two  sides  facing  the  cardinal  points.  Portions  of 
the  wall  were  visible  only  in  two  places,  one  near  the  summit,  at  the  south  end, 
where,  from  the  height  of  the  pile  it  must  have  originally  been  three  or  four 
stories  high;  and  the  other  at  the  northern  extremity,  on  the  western  side. 
These  remains  just  projected  above  the  mass  of  rubbish  and  crumbled  walls. 
The  rest  formed  rounded  heaps  of  various  heights  and  dimensions,  worn  into 
deep  gullies  by  the  rain,  the  whole  presenting  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
mound  which  marks  the  site  of  ancient  Babylon. 

"The  higher  walls  seen  in  the  sketch  probably  belonged  to  an  inner  portion 
of  the  building.  Near  this  is  a  conical  hill,  formed,  doubtless,  by  the  crum- 
bling away  of  the  higher  portion  or  tower.  Near  the  wall,  which  projects  from 
the  lower  portion,  at  the  northern  end,  are  two  large  masses  of  this  wall 
which  have  fallen.  The  adobe  is  still  very  hard,  so  much  so  that  I  could  not 
break  it  with  the  heel  of  my  boot.  Several  broken  metates,  or  corn-grinders, 
lie  about  the  pile.  I  picked  up  a  stone  pestle  and  some  small  sea  shells. 
Along  the  eastern  side  are  the  remains  of  a  long  wall,  extending  beyond  the 
building,  now  but  a  rounded  heap,  which  seemed  to  have  formed  an  enclosure. 
On  the  western  side  is  an  excavation  about  four  feet  deep,  and  extending  from 
sixty  to  eighty  feet  from  the  main  heap,  and  along  its  entire  length,  from 
which  I  suppose  the  mud  and  gravel  to  have  been  taken  to  make  the  adobe. 
To  the  northeast,  about  a  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  circular  enclosure.  This  was  not  large  enough  for  a  canal ;  nor  could  it 
have  been  a  well,  as  it  is  too  near  the  margin  of  the  plateau  where  the  canal 
ran,  which  would  always  furnish  a  supply  of  water.  At  the  south,  two  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  are  the  remains  of  a  small  building  with  a  portion  of  the 
wall  still  standing. 

"From  the  summit  of  the  principal  heap,  which  is  elevated  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  plain,  there  may  be  seen  in  all  directions  similar 
heaps;  and  about  a  mile  to  the  east,  I  noticed  a  long  range  of  these  ruins 
north  and  south,  which  the  Indians  said  were  of  a  similar  character  to  that  on 


1  From  this  region  and  Mesa  City  have  been  obtained  some  of  the  finest  col- 
lections of  prehistoric  objects  found  in  this  valley.     Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned  the   complete   series   collected   by   the   Hemenway   Expedition   at    Los 
Muertos  and  that  of  Dr.  J.   S.   Miller,  obtained   from  various  points  in  the 
valley. 

2  Personal  Narrative  of  Explorations  and  Incidents,  1854.  p.  245. 


NO.  1873       PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  423 

which  we  stood.  In  every  direction  the  plain  was  strewn  with  broken  pottery, 
of  which  I  gathered  up  some  specimens  to  show  the  quality,  as  well  as  the 
style  of  ornamentation." 

Mr.  H.  C.  Hodge1  thus  speaks  of  the  Tempe  ruins: 

"Six  miles  east  from  Phoenix,  and  two  miles  from  the  Hellings  mill,  now 
owned  by  Major  C.  H.  Vail,  are  the  ruins  of  a  large  town,  near  the  center  of 
which  is  one  very  large  building,  275  feet  long  and  130  feet  wide.  The  debris 
of  this  building  forms  a  mound  which  rises  thirty  feet  above  the  surrounding 
plain.  The  walls  are  standing  about  ten  feet  in  height  and  are  fully  six  feet 
thick.  There  seem  to  have  been  several  cross-walls,  and  the  whole  was  sur- 
rounded by  an  outer  wall,  which  on  the  south  side  was  thirty  feet  from  the 
main  wall ;  on  the  east,  sixty  feet ;  on  the  north,  one  hundred  feet ;  and  on  the 
west  side  sixty  feet. 

"On  the  north  and  at  the  northwest  corner  were  two  wings,  perhaps  guard 
or  watch  houses.  On  the  south  of  the  outer  wall  was  a  moat,  that  could  be 
flooded  with  water  from  a  large  reservoir  fifty  yards  to  the  south.  Several 
other  large  reservoirs  are  at  different  points  in  and  around  the  main  town, 
which  was  over  two  miles  in  extent. 

"A  large  irrigating  canal  runs  to  the  south  of  the  large  building,  which  was 
from  twenty-five  to  fifty  feet  wide.  This  canal  took  the  water  from  the 
Salt  River  eight  miles  above,  and  can  be  easily  traced  for  twenty  miles  or 
more  below.  *  *  *  The  largest  of  the  old  irrigating  canals  visited  and 
examined  by  the  author  is  some  twenty-five  miles  above  Phoenix,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Salt  River,  near  the  point  where  the  river  emerges  from  the 
mountains.  This  one,  for  eight  miles  after  leaving  the  river,  is  fully  fifty  feet 
wide.  For  this  distance  it  runs  in  a  southwest  course  through  hard,  stony 
ground,  and  enters  on  a  vast  stretch  of  mesa  or  table-land,  which  extends 
south  and  southwest  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles,  having  an  elevation  above  the 
river  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet. 

"At  about  eight  miles  from  where  this  great  canal  leaves  the  river,  it  is 
divided  into  three  branches,  each  twenty-five  feet  wide,  one  of  which  runs  in 
an  east  of  a  south  course,  one  nearly  south,  and  the  third  southwest,  the  three 
probably  carrying  water  sufficient  to  irrigate  the  whole  of  the  immense  plateau 
before  mentioned.  Two  miles  west  of  where  the  main  canal  branches  are 
the  ruins  of  a  large  town,  which  extends  along  the  mesa  for  many  miles. 

"Near  the  center  of  this  town  are  the  ruins  of  the  largest  building  yet  dis- 
covered. Its  ground  measurement  is  350  feet  by  150  feet,  with  outer  walls, 
moats,  embankments,  and  reservoirs  outside  the  main  walls,  and  ruins  of 
smaller  buildings  in  all  directions. 

"On  the  line  of  the  branch  canals,  distant  many  miles  from  this  one,  are 
other  ruins  of  towns  similar  to  the  others  described.  Below  the  great  canal 
and  the  large  ruin  described,  extending  through  what  is  called  the  Tempe 
settlement,  are  other  irrigating  canals  of  nearly  equal  size  to  the  others,  and 
which  were  taken  out  of  the  river  many  miles  below  the  large  one  mentioned, 
and  along  there  are  also  the  ruins  of  great  houses  and  towns." 

Father  Sedelmair,  according  to  the  last  authority,  described  a  ruin 
36  miles  below  the  Casa  Grande,  on  the  same  side  of  the  Gila. 


1  Arizona  as  it  is,  or  the  Coming  Country,  1877. 


424 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  52 


The  following  quotation1  evidently  refers  to  the  Tempe  mound: 

"Several  mounds  were  found  on  the  Salt  River  measuring  from  80  feet 
wide  to  120  feet  long.  One  of  these  is  plainly  discernible,  as  our  illustration 
shows,  from  the  stage  road  at  La  Tempe.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  two 
mounds  larger  in  size  are  to  be  seen,  one  near  Hayden's  mill  and  the  other 
close  to  East  Phoenix.  Mr.  Bartlett,  as  well  as  other  explorers,  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  pieces  of  pottery  so  widely  scattered  show  that  the  vessels 
were  all  painted  or  glazed  white  inside,  an  art  which  the  Pima  and  other 
Indians  do  not  possess.  The  La  Tempe  mound  was  measured  by  him,  and 
found  to  be  from  200  to  225  feet  long  by  from  60  to  80  wide.  This  would 
give  a  much  larger  edifice  than  the  Casa  Grande.  It  is  true  to  the  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass — a  peculiarity  common  to  all  these  ruins  and  mounds. 
Father  Sedelmair  also  describes  the  La  Tempe  mound,  and  gave  an  account, 
too,  of  the  three-storied  building  or  ruin  there  which  he  found  at  the  junction 
of  the  Gila  and  Salt  rivers." 

i.— GREAT  TEMPE  MOUND 

The  largest  of  all  the  mounds  is  the  Great  Tempe  mound,2  on 
the  left  of  the  main  Phcenix-Tempe  road,  about  4  miles  from  the 


FIG.  70. — Great  Tempe  Mound 

former  city.  This  is  probably  seen  by  more  white  people  in  the 
course  of  a  year  than  any  other  ruin  in  Arizona.  It  is  conspicuous 
from  the  railroad  and  is  a  marked  object  in  all  the  surrounding 
country.  The  main  mounds  with  their  walls  form  one  of  several 
clusters,  covering  more  than  40  acres,  evidently  formerly  one  of  the 
largest  settlements  in  the  Gila-Salt  Valley. 


Handbook  to  Arizona,  pp.  411-412. 
2  This  is  possibly  the  ruin  called  by  Dr.  Russell  by  the  name  of  the  chief, 
S'o'am  Nyu'i  vaaki. 


XO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  .       425 

The  largest  compound  (fig.  70)  is  oriented  north  and  south,  the 
wall  surrounding  it  being  approximately  353  by  246  feet  in  dimen- 
sions. The  north  wall  and  the  northeast  and  northwest  angles  of 
the  compound  are  entire,  and  were  the  earth  removed  would  show 
unbroken  corners.  The  whole  west  wall  from  the  northwest  to  the 
southwest  corner  is  likewise  in  fair  condition,  but  the  southwest 
angle,  the  southwest  wall,  and  the  southeast  angle  are  more  or  less 
broken,  the  latter  having  been  washed  away  by  the  "Cross-cut" 
canal.  The  road  following  this  canal  cuts  across  the  southeast  side 
and  the  Phcenix-Tempe  road  has  more  or  less  obscured  or  destroyed 
the  south  wall. 

The  large  central  mound  of  this  compound  has  been  somewhat 
mutilated.1  It  is  from  15  to  18  feet  high  and  shows  walls  of  many 
rooms,  some  of  them  constructed  of  stone  laid  in  adobe  with  smooth 
surfaces.  This  mound  was  evidently  once  covered  with  fragile 
walled  buildings  like  those  on  Compound  B  of  the  Casa  Grande 
group,  but  at  present  the  supports  have  decayed  and  the  walls  are 
covered  by  fallen  debris. 

There  are  several  other  smaller  mounds  in  this  group,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  a  circular  depression  or  reservoir,  vaski, 
1,400  feet  north  of  this  compound.  About  2,230  feet  north  of  it 
there  is  a  cluster  of  mounds,  one  of  them  in  part  excavated  many 
years  ago  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Cushing.2 

Of  the  several  other  mounds  in  this  vicinity  the  largest  has  the 
form  of  a  compound  and  is  situated  about  600  feet  west  of  the 
first.  This  compound  has  the  general  form  of  the  type,  but  it  has 
no  central  mounds  indicating  large  buildings.  Apparently  its  rooms 
were  fragile  walled  habitations  and  it  closely  resembles  Compound  C 
of  the  Casa  Grande  group. 

2. — CARROLI,  COMPOUND 

This  compound,  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Tempe, 
was  not  visited  in  1907,  but  was  examined  by  the  author  in  1892. 
The  massive  walled  building  is  considerably  worn  down  and  reduced 
almost  to  the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain. 

1  Excavations  into  the  east  side  of  this  mound  were  made  several  years  ago 
by  the  Arizona  Antiquarian  Society.    The  idea  that  the  rooms  of  this  mound 
were  subterranean  is  erroneous,  and  the  indications  are  that  there  were  floors 
one  above  another  as  at  Compound  B,  in  the  Casa  Grande  group,  one  room 
being  built  on  the  debris  that  had  accumulated  after  the  lower  had  been 
deserted. 

2  From  the  many  small  mounds  in  this  vicinity  this  cluster  of  rooms  was 
called  Los  Pueblitos  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Cushing,  who  first  opened  them. 


426 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLFCTIONS 


VOL.  52 


C.— MESA  CITY  RUINS 
i. — STEWART  COMPOUND 

The  largest  ruin  near  Mesa,  situated  about  two  miles  and  a  half 
north  of  the  post-office,  is  one  of  the  largest  ruins  in  the  Salt  River 
Valley.  It  is  now  occupied  by  Mr.  S.  O.  Stewart  and  called  the 
"Aztec  Poultry  Farm."  His  house  and  outbuildings  stand  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  compound. 

This  compound  is  one  of  the  largest  and  the  best-defined  in  the 
Salt  River  Valley,  measuring  430  by  250  feet.  Its  orientation  is 
practically  north  and  south,  the  majority  of  the  mounds  being  on  the 
left  side.  The  surrounding  wall  can  still  be  traced  by  the  slight 


Ssfi&bfcati  i^^fe-k  .'"':•  :#V/n;:!'!\S 


IfTH'flWMWf^ 

FIG.  71. — Stewart  Compound 

swell  in  the  surface  of  the  earth.     Several  rooms  that  have  been 
excavated  exhibit  smooth,  well-polished  walls. 

There  is  a  circular  mound  with  depressed  interior  and  raised 
bank,  reminding  one  of  a  similar  "well"1  (vaskki}  at  Casa  Grande, 
situated  a  short  distance  from  the  compound. 

2. — Los  MUERTOS 

The  mounds  called  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Gushing  "Los  Muertos,"  are 
those  in  the  Salt  River  Valley  where  much  work  was  done  by  the 

1  Mr.  Gushing  gives  an  account  of  oval  structures  or  "sun  temples"  having  a 
distinct  resemblance  to  the  hollow  mound  at  Casa  Grande.  According  to  him, 
these  "sun  temples"  had  smooth  floors  with  fireplaces,  banquettes,  and  evidences 
of  ceremonial  use.  Remnants  of  the  upright  logs  that  formerly  supported  a 
roof  and  method  of  construction  of  the  roof  are  described  by  Gushing. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES  427 

Hemenway  Southwestern  Expedition.1  The  remains  are  now  in  the 
midst  of  cultivated  fields ;  many  formerly  conspicuous  are  invisible, 
having  been  reduced  to  the  surrounding  level.  These  mounds  are 
of  great  interest  as  the  site  of  the  first  archaeological  field  work  in 
this  valley. 

3.— DRAINES'S  COMPOUND 

Although  the  compound  situated  on  Mr.  Draines's  farm  is  now 
almost  wholly  destroyed,  its  great  mound  rises  as  a  white  or  ash- 
colored  elevation  in  the  midst  of  the  cultivated  fields,  and  is  con- 
spicuous for  some  distance,  being  easily  seen  from  the  railroad  train. 
A  ditch  divides  the  mound  into  two  parts. 

There  are  many  instructive  pictographs  (pi.  xxxix,  figs,  a,  b,  and 
c)  not  far  from  the  Salt  River. 

IV. — RUINS   ON   THE   SAN    PEDRO. 

The  San  Pedro  River,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Gila  on  the 
south,  is  in  fact  the  only  one  of  size  which  rises  in  Mexico  and 
flows  approximately  north  with  highlands  on  both  sides.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  the  trail  taken  by  Coronado  in  1540  on  his  trip  to  Cibola 
(Zuni)  followed  the  San  Pedro  Valley,  through  which  we  know 
Father  Kino  passed  in  1694.  Although  this  was  the  only  known 
route  from  Mexico  to  the  unknown  north  in  the  I7th  century,  it 
was  abandoned  by  the  Spaniards  in  favor  of  the  valley  of  the  Santa 
Cruz  in  the  following  century. 

A  study  of  the  ruins  on  the  San  Pedro  leads  one  to  believe  that 
the  ancient  structures  in  this  region  had  certain  features  of  the  Gila 
compounds.  It  is  evident  that  they  had  stone  walls  built  for  protec- 
tion, inclosing  areas  in  which  were  erected  the  fragile  walled  domi- 
ciles of  the  people.  Within  this  inclosure  were  also  other  buildings 
with  massive  walls  corresponding  to  the  houses  in  the  compounds  of 
Casa  Grande. 

The  San  Pedro  Valley  was  inhabited  in  1694  by  the  Sobypuri, 
agricultural  Indians  of  Pima  stock,  and  from  the  scanty  records 


1  Preliminary  Notes  on  the  Origin,  Working  Hypothesis  and  Primary  Re- 
searches of  the  Hemenway  Southwestern  Archaeological  Expedition.  Congres 
International  des  Americanistes,  7th  session,  Berlin,  i&88. 

It  will  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  the  author's  interpretation  of  the  Casa 
Grande  ruins  with  those  given  in  this  pioneer  work  that  they  differ  in  some 
particulars.  The  oval  structures  at  Los  Muertos  called  sun  temples  were  not 
recognized  at  Casa  Grande  or  the  other  ruins  here  considered.  The  author  in- 
terprets the  fragile  walled  buildings  as  the  same  as  the  thin-walled  rooms 
described  by  Mr.  Cushing. 


428  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  $2 

that  have  come  down  to  us  it  appears  that  they  lived  in  rancherias 
and  cultivated  farms,  Ihe  whole  valley  being  artificially  irrigated. 
Their  chief,  named  Coro,  accompanied  Kino  down  the  river  past 
these  rancherias,  the  names  of  which  he  mentions.  In  1694  the 
contest  between  Sobypuri  and  Apaches  had  begun,  but  the  former 
still  held  possession  of  the  valley.  Later,  however,  the  Sobypuri 
having  been  forced  from  their  homes,  the  tribes  along  the  San  Pedro 
Valley  became  hostile  to  Europeans,  and  the  valley  ceased  to  be  a 
line  of  communication  between  Mexico  and  the  Gila.  For  over  150 
years  following  this  expedition  the  trail  to  the  north  from  Mexico 
passed  along  the  Santa  Cruz  River  by  way  of  Tucson  and  through 
the  gap  at  Picacho  into  the  deserts  of  the  Gila. 

An  examination  of  the  configuration  of  the  San  Pedro  Valley 
from  a  point  15  miles  south  of  Monmouth  to  the  junction  of  the  river 
with  the  Gila  has  led  me  to  believe  that  Padre  Kino,  after  following 
the  San  Pedro  many  miles,  left  it  opposite  where  old  Fort  Grant  now 
stands,  and  marched  west  until  he  came  to  the  Gila,  not  far  from  the 
present  site  of  Florence.  The  place  where  he  turned  away  from  the 
river  was  probably  the  rancheria  called  Victoria  del  Ojio,  not  far 
from  the  ruin  at  the  mouth  of  the  Arivaipa,  which  empties  into  the 
San  Pedro,  but  in  his  diary  he  says  that  on  the  i6th  of  November, 
"after  mass,"  he  followed  down  the  river  6  leagues  until  he  came  to 
the  junction  with  the  Gila.  We  cannot  definitely  say  whether  the 
rancherias  mentioned  by  Kino  stood  on  the  same  site  as  the  ruins 
now  found  in  the  valley,  but  it  is  believed  they  did.  He  speaks  of 
the  houses  as  being  made  of  "palos"  or  "petates,"  or  a  kind  of  jacal 
structure,  which  we  have  reason  to  suppose  housed  the  common 
people  at  the  Casa  Grande  ruins.  Probably  the  buildings  with  stone 
walls  found  in  the  San  Pedro  were  structurally  the  same  as  those 
.the  author  has  called  massive  walled  rooms  at  Casa  Grande  and 
served  for  citadels,  granaries,  or  ceremonial  buildings1  rather  than 
habitations  for  the  people. 

The  existence  of  ruins  along  the  San  Pedro  has  been  known  for 
several  years,  but  their  character  and  the  kinship  of  their  former 
inhabitants  have  been  a  matter  of  speculation.  A  more  exact  knowl- 
edge of  these  ruins  being  desirable,  the  writer  included  them  in  his 
comparative  studies  and  made  a  brief  visit  to  the  lower  course  of 
the  river  in  April,  1908,  when  he  examined  several  of  the  more 


1  Kino  speaks  of  one  building  as  a  "capilla,"  chapel,  as  if  it  were  different 
from  others,  but  whether  it  was  a  massive  walled  house  or  not  does  not  appear 
evident  from  his  brief  mention. 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS 


VOL.    52,    PL.   XLI 


RUIN  OPPOSITE  OLD  FORT  GRANT 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RL'IXS  IN   GILA  VALLEY FEWKES 


429 


important  ruins  in  this  part  of  this  valley,  entering  it  from  the 
junction  with  the  Gila. 

Prehistoric  mounds  of  considerable  size  were  first  encountered 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Dudleyville,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
San  Pedro.  One  of  the  most  striking  evidences  of  the  former 
presence  of  Indians  at  that  point  are  the  pictographs,  possibly  of 
Apache  origin,  in  a  cave  not  far  from  the  road  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river.  Ruins  are  found  at  intervals  as  far  up  the  river  as  the 
exploration  was  continued. 

i. — RUIN  OPPOSITE  OLD  FORT  GRANT 

Old  Fort  Grant  is  situated  a  short  distance  north  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Arivaipa  Canyon,  on  the  east  side  of  the  San  Pedro.  Di- 
rectly opposite  the  fort  to  the  south,  on  the  low  hills,  there  are 
remains  of  walls,  rows 
of  foundation  walls.,  and 
piles  of  stones,  indicat- 
ing the  site  of  a  con- 
siderable settlement  (pi. 
XL.II,  figs,  i,  2).  Al- 
though here  and  there  a 
rock  formation  of  red 
color  occurs  in  this 
neighborhood,  neither 
the  walls  nor  the  soil  are 
red,  so  that  environment 
adds  little  to  support  the 


200'. 


FIG.  72. — Ruin  opposite  Old  Fort  Grant 


theory  that  here  was  situated  the  red  house  (Chachilticalli)1  of  Cas- 
taneda.  The  rectangular  arrangement  of  rows  of  stones  character- 
istic of  compounds  is  indicated  in  this  ruin.  The  east  wall  (fig.  72) 
of  this  rectangle  measures  not  far  from  250  feet.  In  the  inclosure 
there  is  a  large  central  mound  composed  of  stones,  the  altitude  of 
which  is  from  10  to  15  feet. 


On  a  neighboring  mesa,  situated  a  few  hundrecTfeet  south  of  that 
on  which  the  compound  lies,  there  are  many  piles  of  small  stones 
suggesting  a  cemetery. 

The  author  believes  that  the  ruin  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arivaipa 


1  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  building  called  by  Castaneda  Chachilticalli, 
or  Red  House,  was  situated  near  Old  Fort  Grant,  but  neither  the  rock  in 
place,  earth,  nor  stones  that  compose  the  walls  examined  by  the  author  in 
that  neighborhood  have  a  red  color. 


430 


SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS   COLLECTIONS 


VOL. 


may  have  been  the  last  rancheria  on  the  San  Pedro  mentioned  by 
Kino  in  1694  and  called  by  him  Victoria  del  Ojio.  The  chief  of 
this  settlement  was  named  Humari.  It  consisted  of  70  houses,  the 
walls  of  which  were  made  of  sticks  and  matting  and  contained  380 
persons.  One  of  these  houses  was  capacious  enough  to  hold  all  the 
soldiers  in  the  expedition. 

2. — RUIN  OPPOSITE  MON MOUTH 

Just  across  the  San  Pedro,  opposite  Monmouth,  there  is  an  inter- 
esting ruin,  the  stone  walls  of  which  are  situated  on  an  elevation 
overlooking  the  river. 


fan 


':&-~  •.„... 


FIG.  73. — Ruin  opposite  Monmouth 

This  ruin  consists  of  a  central  building,  the  subterranean  rooms 
of  which,  excavated  by  Mr.  Childs,  have  a  surrounding  wall  (fig.  73) 
inclosing  a  rectangular  area  measuring  about  275  feet  on  the  north 
and  178  on  the  west  sides.  The  wall  of  this  inclosure  cannot  be 
followed  throughout,  as  there  is  a  continuation  of  the  wall  beyond 
the  rectangle  on  the  south  side.  On  the  east  side  there  are  several 
rooms,  the  form  and  dimensions  of  which  were  not  traced  with  any 
accuracy.  This  settlement  may  have  been  Kino's  Tutoida,1  said  to 
have  been  situated  18  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Arivaipa. 


xThe  rancheria  at  this  point  was  composed  of  20  houses  and  100  souls,  ac- 
cording to  Kino's  diary. 


NO.  1873      PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FEWKES 
3. — SEVEN  MILE  RUIN 


431 


This  ruin  is  situated  7  miles  from  Monmouth,  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river.  One  takes  the  road  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  to 
Clark's  ranch,  then  crosses  it  to  the  bluffs  on  the  side.  These  bluffs 
have  been  very  much  eroded  since  the  site  was  inhabited  and  many 
of  the  walls  have  been  washed  out,  revealing  many  specimens  of 
minor  antiquities. 

The  surface  of  the  ground  is  covered  in  places  with  fragments  of 
pottery.  There  are  no  high  mounds,  but  the  rooms  are  indicated 
by  the  tops  of  their  walls  projecting  out  of  the  sand.  These  rooms 
seem  to  have  been  arranged  in  blocks. 


FIG.  74. — Fifteen-Mile  Ruin 
4.— RUIN  NEAR  CLARK'S  RANCH 

This  ruin  is  remarkable  in  having  indications  of  circular  rooms 
that  remind  one  of  kivas  or  subterranean  "pit  dwellings."  These 
resemble  reservoirs  or  wells,  their  true  nature  being  as  yet  unknown. 

5. — FIFTEEN  MILE  RUIN 

This  ruin  (fig.  74)  is  situated  15  miles  up  the  river  from  Mon- 
mouth, on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  from  a  small  ranch  house. 
Not  far  from  it  there  is  a  natural  rock  formation  of  red  color  that 
might  be  mistaken  for  a  house  perched  on  top  of  a  much-eroded  mesa. 
It  is  suggested  that  this  building  may  have  been  at  or  near  the  site  of 
Kino's  rancheria  Arivaipa,  which  was  not  more  than  27  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Arivaipa  Canyon. 


432  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

Specimens  from  San  Pedro  Ruins 

The  only  collection  of  small  antiquities  from  the  ruins  along  the 
San  Pedro  examined  by  the  author  are  those  owned  by  Mr.  E.  O. 
Childs,  at  Monmouth,  who  has  kindly  allowed  the  author  to  exam- 
ine and  publish  an  account  of  them.  The  prehistoric  inhabitants  of 
this  valley  cremated1  their  dead,  a  vessel  with  calcined  human  bones 
having  been  found  by  the  author  near  one  of  the  houses  at  the  ruin 
15  miles  above  Monmouth,  where  the  majority  of  objects  were 
obtained. 

The  most  remarkable  specimen  in  the  collection  (fig.  75,  a,  b)  is 
the  figure  made  of  black  stone  resembling  lava  and  representing  a 
quadruped  with  curved  horns  like  those  of  a  mountain  sheep.  The 
most  unusual  feature  of  the  specimen  is  a  circular  depression  in  the 
back,  notched  on  the  rim,  as  shown  in  the  figure.2 

Several  clay  effigy  figures  (fig.  75,  c,  f,  h),  among  which  are  the 
two-figured,  have  been  found  in  the  San  Pedro  ruins.  An  arrow 
polisher  and  a  circular  stone  disk  recalls  similar  objects  found  in  the 
ruins  on  the  Gila.  Perhaps  the  most  exceptional  piece  of  pottery 
consisted  of  a  double  neck  of  a  vase,  d,  of  which  the  bowl  is  missing. 
The  pottery  is  a  dark  brown  ware,  smooth  on  the  surface  and  deco- 
rated. The  people  of  the  San  Pedro  had  flat  shovels  made  of  slate, 
not  unlike  those  from  Casa.  Grande,  and  made  use  of  perforated 
stones,  g,  and  ornaments,  e,  recalling  those  commonly  excavated  in 
the  Salt  River  Valley  ruins.  The  culture  of  the  people,  as  shown  by 
the  small  collections  of  known  objects,  did  not  greatly  differ  from 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  Gila,  but  environmental  conditions  did  not  lead 
to  the  erection  of  Casas  Grandes  like  those  near  Phoenix  and  Tempe. 

CONCLUSIONS 

From  the  points  where  the  Gila  River  and  its  two  tributaries,  the 
Salt  and  Santa  Cruz,  emerge  from  the  mountains,  their  broad  val- 
leys become  level  or  rolling  and  slightly  elevated,  forming  low  mesas. 
These  valleys  are  practically  deserts,  on  which  the  rainfall  is  not 


1  Two  methods  of  disposal  of  the  dead — one,  house  burial ;  the  other,  crema- 
tion— existed  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Great  Houses  of  the  Gila-Salt 
region.  This  might  mean  that  two  distinct  peoples  occupied  this  valley  or  that 
the  builders  of  the  Casas  Grandes  were  composite  in  stock.  Possibly  it  might 
be  interpreted  as  an  indication  that  one  of  the  components  was  akin  to  tribes 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  where  cremation  is  still  practised. 

"  There  is  a  similar  stone  idol  in  the  museum  of  the  University  of  Arizona, 
at  Tucson. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FFYWKES  433 


f  3 

FIG.  75. — Prehistoric  objects  from  San  Pedro  Valley 


434  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS   COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

regular  enough  for  successful  agriculture  without  irrigation.  They 
present  a  good  field  for  the  evolution  of  a  sedentary,  agricultural 
stage  of  human  culture  dependent  on  artificial  irrigation.  The  ex- 
tent of  the  aboriginal  ditches  that  can  be  traced  for  miles  show  that 
the  prehistoric  inhabitants  had  discovered  and  applied  a  more  exten- 
sive system  of  irrigation  than  any  of  their  contemporaries  who  dwelt 
in  other  sections  of  what  is  now  the  United  States.  Here  was 
developed  a  highly  organized  autochthonous  stage  of  social  life 
which  we  have  good  evidence  to  believe  was  of  great  antiquity.1 
The  indications  are  that  it  was  from  this  center  that  there  radiated 
a  form  of  culture  which  influenced  the  whole  area  now  embraced  in 
the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  and  the  southern  parts 
of  Utah  and  Colorado. 

In  order  successfully  to  bring  an  area  of  the  size  of  the  Gila  and 
Salt  River  valleys  under  cultivation,  the  construction  of  large  irriga- 
tion ditches  was  necessary,  but  these  great  canals  could  not  be  dug 
by  individuals,  and  were  possible  only  through  cooperation  of  many 
workers.  There  must  have  been  an  intelligent  leader  to  carry  this 
work  to  completion.  This  cooperation  of  many  under  one  head 
meant  a  high  social  organization.  The  natural  result  would  be  a 
sociological  condition  higher  than  any  that  existed  among  bands  of 
hunters,  fishermen,  or  even  agriculturists  depending  on  natural  rain- 
falls. 

A  people  accustomed  to  building  irrigation  canals  naturally  be- 
came accustomed  to  cooperation  and  combined  to  construct  other 
public  works,  as  houses  for  defense,  for  ceremony,  or  for  storage 
purposes.  Hence  there  occur  with  these  extensive  irrigation  ditches 
great  houses,  and  wherever  the  population  was  the  densest,  there  are 
great  buildings  and  canals,  the  most  numerous  and  largest.2  Such 
Casas  Grandes  as  the  Gila  compounds  are  to  be  expected  among 
people  in  this  high  social  condition  resulting  from  cooperation. 

There  seems  no  valid  objection  to  the  theory  that  these  settlements 
were  built  by  ancestors  of  the  present  house-building  Indians  of  the 
Southwest.  It  can  hardly  be  supposed  that  the  builders  of  these 
Casas  Grandes  disappeared  from  their  native  land  without  descend- 
ants, even  if  they  lost  the  habit  of  constructing  massive  houses  and 

1  A  somewhat  similar  culture  arose  independently  in  the  valley  of  the  Casas 
Grandes  in  Chihuahua,  which  in  certain  arts,  as  ceramics,  reached  a  higher 
stage  of  development,  perhaps  being  unmolested  for  a  longer  period. 

2  The  existence  of  artificial  reservoirs,  or  vashki,  in  the  deserts,  miles  from 
any  compound,  implies  an  aboriginal  population  in  their  neighborhood  living  in 
huts,  or  jacales,  the  walls  of  which  can  no  longer  be  traced. 


NO.  1873        PREHISTORIC  RUINS  IN  GILA  VALLEY — FSWKSS  435 

compounds.  The  ancient  mode  of  life  and  difference  in  their  style 
of  building  from  that  of  Pueblos  and  Pimas  are  adduced  to  support 
the  theory  that  the  latter  are  not  descendants  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Casas  Grandes.  It  is  held  that  when  the  ancients  left  their 
houses  they  migrated  into  other  lands,  where  we  should  now  look 
for  their  descendants.  This  supposed  disappearance  of  the  ancients 
was  a  favorite  theory  with  some  early  writers,  like  Clavijero,  who 
identified  the  ancients  of  the  Gila  Valley  as  Aztecs  and  regarded 
these  buildings  as  marking  one  of  the  halting  places  of  the  Mexicans 
in  their  southern  migrations.  Some  authors  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
regard  the  Gila  Valley  as  a  cradle  of  Aztec  culture.1 

Other  writers  have  held  that  the  descendants  of  the  original  peo- 
ples migrated  into  the  northern  mountains  and  later  built  the  cliff 
houses  and  pueblos  of  northern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  It  is 
probable  that  certain  clans  were  driven  away  from  their  homes  and 
forced  into  other  regions  by  the  changed  conditions  as  inroads  of 
hostiles.  This  theory  is  in  fact  supported  by  legends  still  told  by 
the  Hopi  and  other  pueblo  people.  It  is  logical  to  suppose  that  other 
clans  of  prehistoric  builders  remained  in  the  valley  and  continued  to 
live  in  houses  similar  to  those  their  ancestors  inhabited,  even  after 
they  had  lost  the  custom  of  building  the  massive  walled  structures 
that  distinguish  the  ancient  phase  of  their  culture.  The  survivors 
of  those  who  remained  are  the  modern  Pimas  Kwahadts  and  Papa- 
gos,  whose  legends  distinctly  state  that  the  ancients  (hohokam) 
built  Casa  Grande. 

The  abandonment  of  the  custom  of  building  Casas  Grandes  dates 
back  to  prehistoric  times,  and  none  of  the  great  buildings  in  the  Gila 
were  constructed  subsequent  to  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards.  Casa 
Grande  was  a  ruin  when  Kino  discovered  it,  and  the  great  buildings 
along  the  Salt  River  appeared  to  have  been  abandoned  before  Casa 
Grande  was  deserted,  for  old  Pima  legends  state  that  the  Great 
Houses  of  the  Salt  River  were  the  oldest  in  the  valley.  The  war 
between  nomads  and  the  house-builders  of  the  Gila,  who  overthrew 
the  Casas  Grandes,  had  practically  ceased  before  the  advent  of  the 
Spaniards,  although  in  1694  the  Sobypuri  along  the  San  Pedro  were 
holding  back  the  Apaches,2  a  hostile  encroachment  from  the  east. 


1  No  doubt  some  of  the  people  did  migrate  southward,  but  the  acceptance  of 
this  conclusion  does  not  mean  that  they  later  became  Aztecs.    There  is  little 
in  common  between  objects  found  in  the  valley  of  Mexico  and  that  of  the  Gila. 

2  There  is  nothing  to  show  that  these  people  overthrew  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Casas  Grandes,  and  it  is  much  more  likely  that  the  earliest  foes  of  the  people 
of  the  Great  Houses  came  from  the  west,  from  the  Gulf  of  California. 

3 


436  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.  52 

A  few  years  later  the  Sobypuri  were  forced  westward  and  the 
Pimas,  who  were  probably  the  offspring  of  an  earlier  union  of  hos- 
tiles  and  the  house-builders  they  conquered,  retreated  to  Casa  Blanca 
and  Sacaton,  leaving  the  Apaches  to  raid  the  whole  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Gila  Valley,  including  the  San  Pedro. 

The  author  would  state  in  conclusion  that  he  believes  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  Casas  Grandes  was  brought  about  by  an  invasion  of 
nomads  from  farther  down  the  river,  in  prehistoric  times.  The 
aborigines  who  inhabited  the  valley  of  the  Gila  when  the  Spaniards 
first  entered  it  were  a  mixed  race,  with  blood  of  conquered  and  con- 
queror. These  people — Pimas,  Papagos,  and  others — practically 
inhabited  fragile  walled  houses  built  in  two  forms — some  rectangu- 
lar, others  circular — the  former  of  which  were  practically  the  same 
as  those  of  their  ancestors  who  built  the  Casas  Grandes.  The  cir- 
cular dwellings  may  have  been  introduced  by  the  alien  prehistoric 
hostiles  from  the  west.  As  the  Great  Houses  on  the  Salt  and  Santa 
Cruz  seem  to  have  been  destroyed  before  those  on  the  Gila,  the  con- 
clusion would  be  that  the  prehistoric  enemies  came  from  the  west  and 
south.  The  advent  of  the  Apaches  and  their  struggles  with  the 
mixed  race  that  replaced  the  builders  of  the  Casas  Grandes  is  a  sub- 
sequent practically  historical  event. 


